Now we know that many of the faculty feel the same way. In a survey (attached), sent to the 61 USF Poly faculty members who are part of the United Faculty of Florida union (out of 62 total faculty), 35 responded. A majority of those said they did not support removing USF Poly from USF. Most said they think USF Poly faculty should have the option of transferring to another USF campus.

They survey asks whether the faculty members have been consulted by USF Poly administration about their opinions on the matter. Thirty-three of the 35 said no.

There's much more insight in the six pages of comments attached. Such as:

"This is a poorly conceived idea to separate from the USF system. We will lose name recognition we have with USF, plus be underfunded. Staying with USF provides more growth opportunities for the students and the campus."

"This has changed from being a wonderful place to work to being a sad and dysfunctional campus. There is craziness and an atmosphere of distrust. Faculty close their office doors or work from home."

"This decision to split is based on politics and NOT academics. If it were based on academics, faculty would have been asked to participate in their thoughts... Instead, as Sr. Goodman says, 'This is not in our control.' But then, during a Board of Governors meeting and in all PR coming from this campus, he is explicitly telling everyone that we need the split... For a university that is supposed to be business oriented, the leadership has failed on every level."

"A complete audit of the finances of USFP ought to be conducted, as it appears that money has been spent extravagantly and perhaps wastefully on non-instruction, non-research, non-mission-related activities and personnel. As a state taxpayer, I worry that my OWN tax dollars are not being spent wisely..."

About the blog

Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.